The 4 Perfect K-Dramas To Watch If You Loved These Anime

We’ve all started our journey somewhere. Here’s where to continue it!

The worlds of K-Dramas and Anime often clash. Many of us have even begun with one and found the other from it. So why not discover even more shows based on what you already like?

Now, each media has its differences, the main one being that one is animated and one is live-action. Animation provides things that are difficult to find in real life. However, these K-Dramas will be a perfect match! (And vice versa.)


1. Haikyuu!! ↔ Thumping Spike

Aside from both being about volleyball, these two go well together as both have two characters that start rocky but eventually make the team even greater than it ever was.

Haikyuu!!

Inspired by watching a volleyball player nicknamed “Little Giant,” small-statured Shouyou Hinata (Murase Ayumu) revives the volleyball club at his middle school. The team even makes it to a tournament but is brutally defeated by the “King of the Court,” Kageyama Tobio (Ishikawa Kaito). Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama but soon finds out they have joined the same high school and, subsequently, the same volleyball team.

Thumping Spike

A budding female volleyball player named Kang Se Ra (Hwang Seun Eon) has an unfortunate incident, resulting in a slump in her form that she can’t get rid of. She ends up coaching a struggling boys’ high school volleyball team where Hwang Jae Woong (Song Jae Rim) is the star player. Despite his skills, the rest of the team is nowhere near his level, and they lose every game. When the two meet, sparks fly on and off the court.

2. The Devil is a Part-Timer ↔ The Uncanny Counter

There are several differences, such as one being about heroes and one about villains. However, both show magical beings working menial jobs on Earth fighting other magical beings.

The Devil is a Part-Timer

The Demon Lord Satan (Oosaka Ryouta) begins to conquer the land of Ente Isla with his enormous demon armies. However, while taking over the continent, he is stopped by the hero Emilia (Hikasa Youko), forcing Satan to retreat through a dimensional portal landing in the human world. Along with his loyal general Alsiel (Ono Yuuki), Satan finds himself stranded in modern-day Tokyo and vows to return to Ente Isla… if he can survive on Earth…

The Uncanny Counter

This series tells the story of a group of demon hunters called Counters who come to earth under the disguise of being employees at a noodle restaurant to capture evil spirits that have returned to earth to pursue eternal life.

3. Yona of the Dawn ↔ River Where The Moon Rises 

Both of their settings are in or based on Goguryeo, and each has a princess whose life is in danger and who runs away from royal life. Not only that, but both have 5 clans that fight for the throne.

Yona of the Dawn

Princess Yona lives a life of luxury, completely sheltered from the problems of the Kingdom of Kouka. However, the sudden murder of the king and the betrayal of her beloved cousin Su Won puts Yona’s life in danger. Forced to escape with Son Hak, her childhood friend and bodyguard, the naïve princess soon discovers that Kouka is not the peaceful place she thought it was. Poverty, conflict, and corruption run rampant.

| Funimation

River Where The Moon Rises

Born a princess and raised a soldier, Pyeong Gang (Kim So Hyun) is a woman with endless dreams and ambitions. Determined to become the first Empress of Goguryeo, Pyeong Gang will stop at nothing to make her dream come true. However, things take an unexpected turn when she meets On Dal (Na In Woo), a peace-loving man whose goal in life is to live in harmony with those around him. They soon fall in love with each other. On Dal finds himself forsaking his principles to keep her safe as warring factions fight for the throne. 

4. The Ancient Magus’ Bride ↔ Goblin

Although the two go in different directions, each has almost the same premise!

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Chise Hatori (Tanezaki Atsumi), a 15-year-old Japanese girl, was sold for £5 million GBP (about $7 million USD) at an auction to a tall masked man. Abandoned at a young age and bullied by her peers, she was ready to give herself to any buyer if it meant having a place to call home. The man leads her to a study, where he reveals himself to be Elias Ainsworth (Takeuchi Ryouta), a magus. After a brief confrontation and a bit of teleportation magic, the two arrive at Elias’ picturesque cottage in rural England. This marks the beginning of Chise’s story as the apprentice and supposed bride of the ancient magus.

| Funimation

Goblin

Kim Shin was once an unbeatable general in Goryeo’s military who died a tragic death. He is now immortal but is tired of living while everyone around him dies. For 900 years, Kim Shin has searched for his bride, a mortal who can pull out the sword and end his life. One day, he meets Ji Eun Tak, an optimistic high school student who can see the dead. She claims to be the Goblin’s bride who can end his life, but what seems to be an easy task gets complicated as the two fall in love.

| tvN